Fernanda is Brazilian with a fervent love of nature and her homeland. Through her love of sport and looking for a challenge she has traveled widely and now lives in the mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees. But still she feels rooted in the waterfalls and little mountains of Minas Gerais where she was born. As a child she was asked what her 'dream' would be - to live in a big house on the beach, or to travel the world. Her dream was to travel ….. But she realised early that to travel you have to find a way to fund your explorations and without parental help she knew that she would have to be a good person, and a good athlete - and in that way to hope to find support.

At just eight years of age Fernanda started to race, and then two years later was training towards Olympic level gymnastics in the USA. By 23 she participated in a 600km nonstop International Running Expedition. She has progressed through adventure racing, multi-sport races and ultra trails to become a great endurance athlete. Now sponsored by The North Face and her legs running trails around the world, Fernanda is living her dream…

In her professional life, Fernanda practised as an environmental lawyer and has also been greatly involved in outdoor education through ONG Outward Bound. In this way her love of nature is not limited only to her experiences through her sport, but also to reaching out to others in working and teaching to conserve and protect our natural environment.

Her passion for the outdoors is rooted deep within her experiences, "when I'm running on top of the mountains or cannoeing in the middle of the sea, I feel as small as nothing… and yet I feel the most intense sensations of freedom and peace… my spirit is free". Passionate about the forests, the mountains, the beaches and the rivers, for Fernanda her delight is to be fully there within the nature - both within her sports but also in the sense of caring for and protecting our environment. Her dream is to become a role model as a runner in the world-wide community of ultra runners. Her philosophy in life is simple - to "move… positive".

Birthdate: 24th January 1980 (Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

Home: Coll De Nargo, Spain

Favourite destination: Brazil's beaches and forests

Favourite mountain: Remarkables, New Zealand

Favourite book: Life after Death (I don't remember the author since I read it when I was 8 years old. This book has had a great impact on me and helped me so much in my life.

Favourite Films: City of God (Cidade de Deus of Fernando Meirelles)

Favourite food: sashimi (salmon and octopus) and PF (Brazilian food: rice, black beans, egg, chicken and salad)

Greatest Fear: tsunamis, floods, earthquakes... what can we do to stop these?

How I relax: Vipassana Meditation and Heiki

Philosophy: MOVE POSITIVE

What inspires you? Our huge and simple mother Earth... one little detail is a big detail.

Words to live by: "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." / "The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give it away."

Ultra Trail – Triathlon
2nd place - Trail Verdon, 50 km Verdon/France (2011).
1st place - 21km Transgrancanaria, Isla Gran Canaria (2010).
1st place - 35 km Andorra Ultra Trail (2010).
4th pace - The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, 166km + 9600m, Chamonix/France (2010).
1st place - The North Face TDS Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, 106km + 6600m, Chamonix/France (2009).
2nd place - Trail Blanc, Ultra Trail, 51km Font Romeu/France (2009).
1st place - Vertical San Pedro, Isla Gran Canária (2009).
1st place - Subida al Pico Bandama, Isla Gran Canária (2009).
4th place - The North Face Endurance Challenge 50, 80km, California/USA (2008).
3rd place - Elite Lake Hawes Triathlon – Queenstown/New Zealand (2006).
3rd place - Half Marathon Wakatipu Mountain Run- Queenstown/New Zealand (2006).
4th place - Routeburn Expedition Run- Milford Sound/New Zealand (2006).
2nd place - Elite Fresh Choice, Woman TRI, Internacional Short Triathlon – New Zealand (2006).
4th place - X TERRA Elite Nissan Brazil Internacional Triathlon Cross Country, Brazil (2005).

Adventure Races
1st place - Gran Premio TEVA, Madrid/Spain (2008).
4th place - AR World Series -Bimbache Expreme Internacional Expedition Race, Spain (2008).
1st place - AR World Series - Portugal XPD Internacional Race – Estoril/Portugal (2007).
4th place - IGWA Illes de Guadalupe Adventure/CARIBEAN (2007).
4th place - AR World Series - Ecomotion Pro Internacional Expedition Race. Team 100% female. Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (2006).
3rd place - AR World Series - Ecomotion Pro Internacional Exp. Race. Serras Gauchas/ Brazil (2005).
1st place - Circuit Caloi Adventure Camp (2004 and 2005).
1st place - Circuit Brazil Wild – São Paulo/Brazil (2004).

Hawai Canoe
First Place, National Championship – Brasil (2007/2008).

Mountain Bike
First Place, Ecomotion Trip Trail Pegeaut, 2 days MTB Race – Brasil (2008).

Awards
THE BEST ADVENTURE ATHLETE IN BRAZIL 2008. (Confederação Brasileira de Corrida de Aventura).
GO OUTSIDE MAGAZINE Premium 2005 / Atleta Revelação em Brazil.
GO OUTSIDE MAGAZINE Premium 2006 / Atleta Reveleção em Brazil.